Matthew Vaughn Confirmed for X-Men: First Class Sequel

Matthew Vaughn, director and co-writer of “X-Men: First Class” has already decided to skip “Kick Ass 2″, and perhaps he’s done so in order to focus more on the sequel to his hit mutant movie “X-Men: First Class”.

That certainly seems to be the case, as trade reports have Vaughn (and, we presume, his co-writer Jane Goldman — she usually goes wherever Vaughn goes) officially closing a deal to write and direct the sequel for Fox. Also back, we’re told, is the entire cast of the first movie, though scheduling the very busy Michael Fassbender and the suddenly very busy Jennifer Lawrence, I suspect, will be where the sequel has to do its best work.

Also back are Bryan Singer and Simon Kinberg as producers, if that matters to you.

As good as “X-Men: First Class” was, and it was plenty good, it actually topped off at $353 million worldwide, making it the second lowest earning “X-Men” movie, beating out only the $296 million of the first film. I wonder, though, if you were to adjust the 2000 original for inflation, if it, too, would come out on top of “First Class”.

But, perhaps more important than box office (I know, just go with it), is that “First Class” turned a profit and washed away the stink of “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” and “X-Men: Last Stand”, and perhaps that was worth ignoring the whole profit margin thing. Maybe. Or maybe Fox just thinks, on the strength and reputation of the first, a sequel to “First Class” will be where the big money is.